LIVE TEST CRICKET: West Indies v England - Day One over-by-over coverage

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Third Test, Antigua (Day One):

England 301-3

10pm: It's definitely been England's day as the visitors posted 301 on a pitch that all and sundry thought would be problematic for the side with the misfortune to bat first.

Andrew Strauss was the pick of England's batsman, reaching 169 with an array of shots and crafting a performance underpinned by determination but sprinkled with elegance.

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Andrew Strauss: it's been a good day for the England captain.

Alastair Cook stayed with his captain past the lunch break, reaching 52 but failing to kick on and post a big total, whilst Owais Shah justified his selection with 57 before contriving to run himself out with more runs for the taking.

England will resume tomorrow with Kevin Pietersen and James Anderson at the crease, aiming to stockpile runs as quickly as possible and give themselves a chance of getting 20 West Indies wickets to level the series.

Follow all the action here on Sportsmail from 2pm. That's 'good night' from me!

9.54pm: A no-ball from Edwards brings up the 300 for England. Edwards tries going round the wicket for his final ball and delivers a wide, prolonging Anderson's agony as he must faces seven balls of the eight-ball over. He swings and misses the last ball but survives, fulfilling his role as the night watchman as England end the day on 301-3. You'd have taken that when Strauss lost the toss this morning, wouldn't you?

9.50pm: Six balls to go and Pietersen starts on strike, facing Fidel Edwards. He goes straight down the ground and scampers up the other end for a single, happy to let Anderson face the music as the shadows draw in.

West Indies bowler Daren Powell in full flow.

9.46pm: Chris Gayle persists with Daren Powell and Anderson gets two off his first delivery as we continue beyond 90 overs. There was the option to play until 10.15pm GMT owing to the 50-minute delay before the start of play and the West Indies look happy to continue for at least another over or two.

Powell delivers a bouncer and jogs down the wicket, trying to star Anderson out. Anderson meets his gaze but then has a little chuckle when the West Indian walks away. Oh fun and games.

Anderson sees the over out and it's 298-3.

9.45pm: James Anderson is the night watchman for England and gets off the mark immediately, meaning he has to face again at the beginning of the next over. Not sure he really thought about that. 296-3.

Finally: Fidel Edwards claims the wicket of Andrew Strauss, out for 169.

9.40pm: WICKET. Edwards bangs a pacy bouncer in to Strauss, who can't get on top of it and knocks it up into the air. Edwards is only too happy to take a two-handed, easy catch and gets his man with the new ball.

Strauss is out for 169 after a fine innings and receives a standing ovation from the largely England-supporting crowd. What a shame Strauss didn't quite manage to better his record Test total, falling just eight runs short of the 177 he posted in New Zealand last year. England are now 295-3.

9.32pm: Powell starts with a full toss, which Pietersen thumps to mid-off. KP's in his own little world out there but is plugging away, picking up the odd single and rotating the strike.

Strauss's strike rate has slipped slightly, which is only natural now there is a new batsman at the crease, and he's on 169 from 273 deliveries. 295-2.

9.28pm: The new ball has been taken. Finally. Fidel Edwards' first delivery has KP in all sorts of problems and the batsman mouths to Strauss: 'I didn't see it.' It really could have gone anywhere, but Pietersen survives.

The batsman is in the shadow from this end, looking into the light, which can't help matters, but Pietersen seems particularly ill at ease. He really is chuntering away and playing shadow shots (no pun intended) at every opportunity. As for Edwards, he just keeps looking at Pietersen with utter disdain. Brilliant.

KP gets a single off the last delivery to add to the no-ball bowled earlier by Edwards and it's 293-2.

Strauss has been imperious today, here driving the ball past the outstretched hands of Ryan Hinds.

9.22pm: Aha - Powell hit the half-way line and the ball stayed low, forcing a swing and a miss from Strauss. If that delivery had been straighter...

Just the one run from the over, 291-2.

9.21pm: Daren Powell comes into the attack, replacing Jerome Taylor. And we STILL have the old ball. What is Gayle trying to do? His seam bowlers are certainly trying to find the centre line of the football pitch to try and get some uneven bounce, but that seems to be the only plan of attack. Pietersen, meanwhile, is picking up singles and playing himself in. All very odd. 291-2.

9.20pm: Strauss completes an unsuccessful over for Benn with a fine four through cover. So much for sympathy. Benn leaves the field to seek treatment. 290-2.

9.15pm: Sulieman Benn's struggling and pulls up half-way through his over. He tries to complete his six balls but is limping badly and looks even more ungainly than ever at the crease. Hope he hasn't twisted an ankle or a knee in the lumps and bumps of the football pitch.

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Kevin Pietersen checks on the injured Sulieman Benn, who left the field with an ankle problem.

9.10pm: There's no third man and Strauss finds the gap and four more runs off Taylor's bowling. A single follows and that's 163 for the England captain.

Pietersen, meanwhile, has spent the last 15 minutes chuntering away to himself as the West Indies try his patience. I'm sure it won't be long before the fireworks start. 284-2.

9.07pm: Sulieman Benn replaces Nash in the West Indies attack, which is at least a logical decision from Chris Gayle. Another maiden over keeps the score at 277-2 and England captains past and present convene in the middle for a chin wag. I would hazard a guess that Andrew Strauss is feeling the happier of the two...

Blown it: Owais Shah runs himself out on 57.

9.02pm: Taylor is bowling nice and straight, if not particularly incisively. Strauss is justhappy to go on the defensive for a while, although England will want to keep the run-rate up to give themselves every opportunity to get 20 West Indies wickets. Another maiden over, the second in a row, and it's 277-2.

9pm: This is a strange decision from the West Indies. Why aren't they attacking Pietersen before he gets himself in? The England batsman is renowned for being jittery at the start of his innings, but he is faced with the decidedly nonthreatening prospect of Brendan Nash bowling 65mph deliveries at him with a ball that's 82 overs old. Maiden over, 277-2.

8.57pm: Kevin Pietersen is the new England batsman and gets off the mark from the first delivery he faces. Taylor got him last time with the new ball, so surely Gayle will go on the offensive and take the opportunity in time for Taylor's next over? 277-2.

8.55pm: Strauss never moved at the non-striker's end and Shah didn't lift his head to see where his mis-timed shot was going. The single was never on and that was a silly way to get out after a decent innings. Shah will be kicking himself as this was his chance to post a big total on a pitch that could only have helped his cause. He is fuming, and rightly so.

8.52pm: WICKET. Shah ran himself out when he called for the run, reached the half-way line of the football pitch and had to do a quick 360-degree turn as Jerome Taylor had the ball in his hand and was closing down on Shah's stumps.

The Middlesex batsman was never going to get back, Taylor kept his cool and ran Shah out on 57. What a shame. 276-2.

8.50pm: The West Indies can take the new ball at the end of this over and surely Gayle will do so at the earliest opportunity. The game is in danger of petering out as the shadows draw in and the home side really could do with a wicket. I can't see it coming from Nash, though...

Strauss edges the ball to the boundary at fine leg, but it only narrowly misses his stumps. 276-1 and the partnership between Strauss and Shah has passed the 150-mark.

8.45pm: DRINKS. Strauss is hitting fours for fun, this time of Taylor, as he chases his best-ever Test total of 177. It's 271-1 and England are coasting.

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Andrew Strauss: leading by example.

8.49pm: Owais Shah hits a lovely four down the ground, over Nash's head but with just the right amount of power. Shah has played well so far but he will know he is expectedto push on and post a good total. He's still fidgeting as well. 267-1.

8.37pm: Strauss reaches 150 for just the second time in his Test match career with an easy single off Nash.

8.35pm: Taylor starts with a maiden over as England remain on 262-1. Strauss is on 149 (off 240) and Shah is on 52 (off 90) - the same score Alastair Cook achieved earlier in the innings.

8.33pm: Jerome Taylor replaces Edwards, who acted the part of the fast bowler but couldn't back it up with his deliveries. We're in the 77th over now so the West Indies will have the opportunity to take the new ball very shortly.

8.30pm: Nash was doing his job, keeping the England runs to a minimum while the strike bowler tries to nick a wicket at the other end, but fell down in the last over as he went for eight runs.

Strauss floated a shot just over the outstretched hands of Sarwan, fielding at mid-on, which reached the boundary and he got four more off the final ball of the over. 262-1.

8.25pm: Edwards looks like the epitome of simmering discontent. He's bowling aggressively, his deliveries are keeping low and whistling through the air, but he's not getting any joy. Still plenty of determined staring at Strauss and Shah, though.

Edwards gets one past the bat with his final delivery but Daryl Harper isn't interested in his lbw appeal so he struts off, shaking his head. 254-1.

8.20pm: A maiden over from Brendan Nash and the crowd are getting restless in the early evening sunshine. 253-1.

8.15pm: Edwards is perhaps unlucky not to get the wicket of Andrew Strauss as the batsman mis-times a shot that could easily have been edged on to the stumps. Edwards also bowls a genuine bouncer (we have not seen many of those today), which has the England captain ducking for cover.

The West Indies bowler might not be making a breakthrough but he is doing some first class staring, trying to eyeball Shah in particular after each delivery. Just two off the over, 253-1.

Owais Shah has justified his selection in place of Ian Bell at number three with a quick-fire 50.

8.10pm: The 250 is up for England as the visitors get easy runs through simple singles off Nash's bowling. The field is set to prevent boundaries, but England are happy to keep the runs ticking over. It's 251-1.

8.07pm: Shah 50*. The batsman yelps 'Yes' as he reaches his half-century with a hasty single. Ian Bell will be ruing his luck in the England dressing room as this pitch is a gift for a batsman, but Shah has taken his chance and got to 50 in just 70 balls. Great stuff. England 149-1 after 71 overs.

8.05pm: It's Edwards again. Poor Shah is desperate to get on strike and he gets his chance when Strauss knocks one away towards square for a single.

8pm: Brendan Nash comes into the West Indies attack. He got a bit of bounce with his first left-handed delivery, which surprised Strauss, but the England captain soon regained control and kindly got off the strike to allow Shah to reach his 50.

But Shah's half-century is not to be - yet - as England stay on 245-1.

7.58pm: Another five off the over from Edwards. Powell was nutmegged by a Strauss drive that brought England two runs and left Edwards seething. Shah's still on 49 and it's 244-1.

7.52pm: Shah goes after Hinds and is unlucky not to reach his 50 with a well-struck

Strauss has played a determined, steely innings today.

shot over the bowler's head that bounces just short of the boundary. Another single takes him to 49.

Strauss then decides he fancies taking runs off Hinds as well and employs a cheeky sweep that rolls away to the boundary four four. Another single follows.

It's been an expensive over for Hinds, who has gone for 10 runs. 239-1.

7.50pm: Edwards returns and two of his deliveries bounce awkwardly and stay very low. The second trickles to the boundary giving England four more runs. If he can bowl a straighter ball and it stays low, England might have problems. 229-1.

7.45pm: More of the same from Hinds and two slips in place as the left-hander continues to pepper the England batsman with his slow, consistent deliveries. Just two from the over, 225-1.

7.40pm: Fidel Edwards replaces Sulieman Benn in the West Indies attack and achieves a maiden over. The home side could do with a few of those to stem the England run rate, which is approaching 3.5 runs an over. 223-1.

7.35pm: Strauss hits a slog sweep through mid-wicket for four off Hinds and the captain picks up another three from the over to bring up the 100 partnership, which has been accumulated in double-quick time from 131 balls. England know they have to get their runs quickly to give them plenty of time to scupper the West Indies batting threat. 223-1.

7.30pm: Sulieman Benn resumes for the Windies, bowling to Owais Shah, who hits a wonderful six straight down the ground over the bowler's head off his third ball. I think that's what you call a statement of intent.

Shah goes again with the fourth ball, hit straight and true down the ground for four more runs.

Two defensive blocks complete the over and England are on 216-1 with Shah on 43. So much for Ian Bell and his consistent scores in the 30s.

Take that: Strauss's six narrowly misses a TV cameraman.

7.11pm: Tea. Strauss gives the England supporters a wave as he heads for the pavilion after a determined innings. Everyone thought the pitch would be a nightmare for whoever had to bat first but it proved to be a dream surface for Strauss and Cook.

The openers reached a partnership of 123 but it was Strauss, the captain, who kicked on and turned his 50 into a century. He will deserve his chicken, rice and peas during the tea break.

7.08pm: The pitch isn't giving him anything, but Benn has not been as disciplined in Antigua as he was in Jamaica. Now he knows how Monty Panesar feels.

Strauss gets a four off the first ball and another off the fourth ball and it's easy pickings for the England captain, showing steely determination out there in the middle. Gayle is running out of options and it's 206-1 after 61 overs.

7.05pm: Shah finds the boundary through cover off Hinds' bowling, despite a good chase from Brendan Nash. That's another seven runs off that over and England reach 197-1.

7.02pm: Benn and Gayle have a prolonged discussion about field placements and Benn seems to get his way.

The spinner throws in a no-ball but that was a better over, going for just two. It was Benn's maiden overs that brought the West Indies wickets in Jamaica, but they have managed no such pressure in Antigua. 190-1.

7pm: Hinds has bowled decent line and length, even if it has been unspectacular stuff, but Shah latches on to a loose delivery and sends it to the boundary to reach 27. 188-1.

6.55pm: Sulieman Benn replaces Daren Powell in the West Indies attack. The spinner was expensive towards the end of his last spell, but Powell was not making any inroads. How will Shah cope with Benn's deliveries? 184-1 and the tea break (expected within the next 15 minutes) cannot come soon enough for the West Indies.

6.53pm: Another over from Hinds brings three more runs for England. 180-1.

Andrew Strauss: An elegant century from the England captain.

6.50pm: Strauss 102*. Well done Andrew Strauss. The England supporters go up as one and the England captain roars as he gets two more runs off Powell to reach his century. He hit a wonderful boundary earlier in the over and can celebrate his first hundred as the official England captain. What a way to respond to the events of a week ago at Sabina Park. Surely he has never achieved a more important century in an England shirt? 177-1.

6.45pm: More dull deliveries from Hinds. I'm not sure what Gayle hopes to achieve from this slow, left-handed bowler, to be honest. Surely he should be putting more pressure on Shah, who has coasted to 19 runs? The new ball seems a long way away. 170-1.

6.40pm: Strauss pulls Powell's first delivery away to the boundary for four, just for fun. The England captain then hits the second ball for four as well, a well-timed shot straight down the ground.

Powell looks frustrated but he doesn't have the pace to cope with this sluggish surface, which has not helped the West Indies bowlers' cause so far. Powell is lucky to get away with a full toss that Strauss hits straight to Chanderpaul and England remain on 168-1 with the captain on 94 runs from 162 deliveries.

6.39pm: Hinds is getting frustrated as Strauss gets another piece of good fortune and the ball trickles over the boundary. The England captain finishes the over on 86 and England sit pretty on 160-1.

Flying: Owais Shah

6.35pm: Powell's third delivery is a touch wide and Shah gets off the strike. The West Indies now have two slips in place as Gayle looks for his fast bowler to get him a wicket, but Shah gets four runs from the fifth ball of the over - a slow, short, wide, pedestrian effort that the Middlesex batsman pulls to the boundary. 153-1.

6.33pm: Daren Powell replaces Chris Gayle in the West Indies attack. Will he get any movement from a ball that's 50 overs old? He clocks 78mph and then 81mph with his first two deliveries, which Shah defends easily.

6.30pm: Hinds attempts a catch off his own bowling but only manages to deflect Strauss's shot down the wicket and save four runs. Maiden over, Hinds' first, and it's 147-1.

6.26pm: Not only is Shah a twitchy player, he doesn't hang about, either. He's on 13 runs from 18 deliveries already and looks to run at every opportunity. 147-1.

6.24pm: Hinds goes for four as his captain stays rooted to the ground and misses an edge off Strauss's bat. Gayle, a specialist slip fielder, should have done better with that effort. Another three runs leaves England at 144-1, scoring an average of three runs an over.

6.21pm: So it's two Middlesex colleagues out in the middle and Shah gets his first boundary, a fine shot past backward point. Five off the over, bowled by Gayle, and it's 137-1.

6.19pm: Shah's a fidgety player, isn't he? Chewing, scratching, adjusting his whites - he never stops. He gets two off the over, bowled by Hinds, to add to Strauss's single. 132-1.

6.17pm: Gayle continues at the other end. He's not getting any turn whatsoever but the angle of his delivery, coupled with his height, makes him a difficult prospect for a left-hander. Just ask Alastair Cook, who got cramped and edged the ball to slip. 129-1.

6.14pm: Gayle keeps faith with Hinds and opts not to force the new batsman to face one of his faster bowlers. Just one off the over, 128-1.

6.10pm: Owais Shah, the right-hander playing just his fourth Test, comes in at number three. Gayle fancies another wicket and brings his field in tight. Shah has something to say about that and cuts one away through point. A confident start. 127-1.

Alastair Cook failed to turn a good start into three figures once again, but a good knock nevertheless.

6.08pm: WICKET. It's Alastair Cook who, again, fails to turn a 50 into a century. Devon Smith takes a fantastic low catch at slip off Chris Gayle's bowling and the West Indies have their first wicket. It's 123-1.

6.07pm: Strauss gets hold of Hinds but just gets the single. The tactic of pushing into the gaps and looking for quick singles paid dividends early on and England could do worse than revert to that approach. Three off the over, 122-0.

6.05pm: A maiden over from Chris Gayle as 'We will rock you' blasts out around the ground. It will definitely be the England supporters who will be singing the loudest at the moment. 119-0.

6.01pm: Ryan Hinds, who replaced Xavier Marshall in the West Indies' starting XI, joins the bowling attack. He comes over the wicket with his slow left-handed deliveries and Cook gets a single to reach his 50 from 124 balls. Good stuff, albeit on a favourable track. Can he push on for a century?

Three off the over, 119-0. I don't think Hinds will provide the Windies' breakthrough.

5.57pm: Drinks. England are in a commanding position, but I'm sure Cook would not have wanted to take a break when he was on 49 runs.

5.56pm: Gayle returns to the fold and Cook gets another single off his second ball to take him to 49. Strauss resumes the strike and hits a lovely four to take England to 116-0.

5.54pm: Cook gets one run down towards fine leg, scraping Taylor's delivery off his ankles for an easy single. He's itching to get back on strike but Strauss looks in no hurry to trot down to the other end and sees out the rest of the over. 111-0 and Cook's on 48.

5.50pm: Cook gets another boundary (his fifth of the innings) off Benn's second ball as the strains of the 'Coronation Street' theme tune ring out around the ground. Well, OK, it's not that particular ditty, but it sounds very similar. England get five runs from the over and Cook's on 47 and will face the next ball from Taylor. 110-0.

5.45pm: This is a batsman's pitch but the West Indies are in trouble. England's openers have more than doubled the total the whole team managed in the second innings in Kingston and Chris Gayle looks out of ideas. A bit like England's perseverance with Monty Panesar in the first Test, the West Indies are staying with pace from one end and Benn's spin from the other. Just one off the over from Taylor, 105-0.

5.40pm: England pass the 100-mark with a wonderful six from Andrew Strauss, which flies out of the ground off Benn's short bowling, narrowly missing a TV cameraman.

The shot has Strauss and Cook smiling in the middle but restarts the chirping from Ramdin behind the stumps as he tries to encourage his team-mate, Benn. We can do without that all afternoon, thank you very much. Seven off the over, 104-0.

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Great knock, naff celebration: Cook congratulates Strauss after the skipper hits another boundary.

5.35pm: A swing and a miss from Strauss, who can't have known it was a no-ball from Taylor, the first of the innings. Again, the England captain gets away with it. Just one off the over but Taylor did not force Strauss to play enough. 97-0.

He gets Cook in all sorts of problems with his fifth delivery but Daryl Harper isn't interested, although Hawk-Eye shows it may have gone on to clip the stumps. Cook's face was a picture then - he tried to look wide-eyed and innocent but must have thought he was in real trouble. Another England get-out-of-jail card gone, 96-0.

5.30pm: It hasn't been as warm in Antigua today as it can be in the Caribbean but there are some blinding sun burns among the England fans, who must outnumber the West Indies fans by at least two to one. Please invest in some sun cream, pronto.

Maiden over from Taylor, 95-0.

5.25pm: Strauss survives another lbw appeal, although this one was half-hearted as the England captain edged it on to his pads. Two off the over, 95-0.

5.20pm: Strauss 50*. Two runs for Strauss brings up the England captain's 15th Test half-century and well-deserved it is, too. Strauss needed to lead by example today and, although the pitch has certainly helped his cause, he has given England a good start in this third Test and helped to bury the demons of his team's 51 all-out collapse eight days ago. 93-0.

Jerome Taylor has come back into the attack, replacing Fidel Edwards.

5.18pm: Strauss is dropped off Benn's bowling. The England captain edged it to Gayle at slip and the West Indies captain got his left hand to it but could not pull off the catch. The home side will rue that as a missed opportunity, particularly on a pitch as unhelpful for bowlers as this one. It's 90-0. Strauss creeps up to 48 and retains the strike with a single off the last ball of the over.

Alastair Cook has played some beautiful shots during a well-constructed innings.

5.16pm: Some lackadaisical fielding from the West Indies gifts Cook two more runs after he clips it away through mid-wicket. It's 89-0.

5.14pm: Strauss is on 47 but Cook can't get off the strike as Edwards pins him back with some straight, fuller deliveries. Cook has coped well with anything short or outside the off-stump, but Edwards has been disciplined overall.

5.10pm: Strauss gets a four off Benn's fifth ball with an attacking sweep shot that bobbles over the boundary. The England captain got down well there to stop the dribbles of singles in the over. Two runs off the last ball make it eight from the over and 87-0.

5.05pm: Edwards is creeping up to 88mph with some aggressive bowling, but Cook silences him with a beautiful shot, hit hard and true to the boundary through cover. Stunning. 79-0.

5.03pm: Another good over from Benn, who goes for a single after an understandable misfield. This looks an interesting approach - contain England with spin from one end and attack them with pace from the other. 74-0.

5pm: The West Indies are trying to tempt Cook into playing the pull shot, which cost him his wicket in Jamaica. The plan nearly comes off from Edwards' third delivery, which puts Cook in two minds and just misses the fielder at square leg. It's four runs but that shot didn't look confident at all. 73-0.

4.55pm: It's Benn from the other end. Strauss employs a sweet sweep shot off the spinner's second ball for a single and Cook scrapes the ball off his feet for one run off the fourth delivery. 69-0 and that was better from Benn.

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England's openers, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, have given the visitors a good start at the Rec.

4.50pm: Fidel Edwards comes back into the West Indies attack and starts well, bowling a slippery, short 87mph effort straight at Cook. Edwards is definitely the fastest of the West Indies bowlers and his height, or lack thereof, means the ball slides in towards you, which can be difficult to fend off if the line and length are right. Gayle isn't backing Edwards with an attacking field, though, preferring to limit the boundaries instead.

Just one off the over and a warning from Rudi Koertzen about Edward's follow through as he bowls to the left-handers. 67-0.

4.48pm: Cook gets a single of Gayle's first ball and Strauss copes comfortably with the rest of the over. Gayle is not getting the turn he achieved in Jamaica and it might be time for a change in the bowling. 66-0.

4.45pm: Sulieman Benn resumes and good running from England and two leg-byes brings four off the over. This is a long session, two and a half hours, which Strauss and Cook would love to bat all the way through. They've started well, pushing the ball into the gaps and nicking singles, which is encouraging. 65-0.

4.40pm: Cook and Strauss resume with England at 58-0.

Chris Gayle is bowling and the Windies have employed a less attacking field in a bid to stop the run of boundaries (England managed nine in the first session). Three off the over, 61-0.

4.05pm: LUNCH. England will be much the happier of the two sides as they break for lunch in Antigua. Strauss has survived two big appeals, one from Powell and an lbw shout from Gayle, and nearly managed to get himself run out, but has hit some intelligent shots to reach 34 off 45 balls.

Cook has been the more restrained of the opening pair, hitting just two boundaries compared to Strauss's seven, but has got himself in and will be confident of pushing on to a good total from his 24 off 63 balls.

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The West Indies appealed but Strauss survived and built a good opening opening partnership with Cook.

The West Indies had to bowl first when Gayle won the toss because the pitch looked like it might do something, but the home side have been unable to make a breakthrough and have resorted to spin before lunch once again.

4pm: Cook finds the gap through cover and gets two runs off Sulieman Benn. It's 58-0 and lunch on Day One of the third Test.

3.57pm: So, again, we have the curious prospect of two spin bowlers leading the West Indies bowling attack before lunch in a Caribbean Test match. Strauss is lucky to survive an lbw appeal from the second ball, which Harper turns down. It hit in line and seemed to be going on to clip leg stump, but Strauss stays at the crease. 56-0.

3.55pm: Big Sulieman Benn's back in the West Indies attack. He bowled excellently during the first Test and starts positively again today with maiden over. 54-0.

3.52pm: Just a single off Gayle's third over, an elegant cover drive from Cook. 54-0.

3.48pm: Powell's fired up, bowling in the high 80s without causing too much damage. He forces a play and miss from Strauss, but the England captain gets four more runs off the last delivery of the over, again pushing the ball down the ground to the boundary. The 50 partnership's up and it's 53-0.

3.45pm: A fabulous cut shot from Cook brings England four more runs off Gayle, adding to Strauss's single through a sweep shot earlier in the over. We've played an hour's cricket this morning and England look comfortable. 47-0.

3.42pm: Powell toils away, but Cook gets two more from his second ball, a mis-hit shot that bobbles through cover. It's 42-0, Cook's on 16 off 42 and Strauss will face Gayle on 26 from 30 deliveries.

3.40pm: Chris Gayle is coming on to bowl, replacing Jerome Taylor. The Windies have opted for spin after just 10 overs and Gayle tees one up for Strauss for his fourth ball, an inviting delivery that Strauss dispatches to the boundary. You can't bowl to a left-hander there - Strauss will hit that for four all day. 40-0.

3.35pm: Another maiden over from Powell, who is coping with England's left-handers better than Edwards. 36-0 after 10 overs.

3.30pm: Good running from the England openers brings a single off Taylor's second ball. That outfield is certainly quick - a push down the ground from Strauss brings four more runs for England.

Barmy Army: there are plenty of England fans in the double-decker stand at the ARC today.

If the Windies thought they were going to get something from this pitch, it hasn't come to fruition yet. Strauss gets another four from the last ball as he clips the ball off his legs to the short boundary at mid-wicket. Good over for England, 36-0. Strauss is on 22 off 24 balls.

3.28pm: Those clouds look a bit threatening. I think we may have a few more delays before the day is out...

3.25pm: Big appeal after Powell's first ball, which cannoned off Strauss's shoulder and was caught in the slips. But did it hit Strauss's glove? I think he may just have been lucky. Benefit of the doubt and all that.

No referral system here today, remember. All the camera angles are not in place, so it's just Koertzen and Harper who can make the decisions. To be fair, the referral system would not have made any difference as the replays weren't clear-cut. Maiden over, 27-0.

3.20pm: Cook gets a couple off Taylor's first ball. The Essex man certainly does have a knack of making things look easy, not unlike a certain Mr Gower, but he could do with a decent score here. 27-0 after seven overs.

3.15pm: Daren Powell replaces Edwards at the Pavilion End and is given a less-than-warm welcome by Strauss, who dispatches his first ball to the boundary for four. That's three boundaries from the England captain in 11 deliveries - a good start. Six off the over, 25-0.

3.13pm: A lovely four from Cook from Taylor's third ball; a cracking pull shot through mid-wicket. Much better from the England left-hander - let's hope that gives him some early confidence. 19-0.

3.07pm: Edwards has upped the ante in his second over, after a gentle first six balls. Cook clips his second delivery away for two and gets a single off the fifth ball of the over.

England nearly lost their first wicket from the last ball after some daft running from Strauss. The England captain pushed the ball away through the on-side and tried to nick a single, but Cook wasn't interested. Strauss scampered back and would have been heading to the pavilion if Daren Powell had managed to hit the stumps and Sarwan, fielding at short leg, had backed him up. A missed opportunity for the home side and an early reprieve for England. 15-0.

3.02pm: This pitch is certainly bouncier than the Sabina Park track. Taylor nearly catches Cook's glove as his shorter fourth delivery carries through to Ramdin, the wicket-keeper.

Just one off the over, an easy single for Cook after the ball bounces past the fielder at gully. 12-0.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle won the toss and elected to bowl first.

2.57pm: Strauss gets a boundary from Edwards' second ball, snaffling the delivery off his feet and dispatching it square through the on-side to the rope.

It's not a big ground and the ball is moving through the outfield reasonably well, as shown by Strauss's second boundary of the over, a well-timed drive through extra cover from Edwards' last delivery, which was far too full. 11-0.

2.55pm: And it's Fidel Edwards from the Pavilion End. Strauss isn't happy and is instructing spectators walking behind the bowler's arm to take their seats.

Now the bin men have decided to empty the green wheelie bins just as Edwards starts his run up. There's always one...

2.50pm: We're off. It's Jerome Taylor opening the bowling for the Windies. Strauss gets a single off the second ball, gently pushing the delivery into the off-side.

Cook gets two from the third ball of the over through good running after driving the ball through mid-on. 3-0 and Taylor's getting a bit of swing.

2.48pm: Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook are making their way out to the middle. Your umpires are Daryl Harper (Australia) and Rudi Koertzen (South Africa).

The referral system will not be in place today owing to technical problems. At least the abandoned second Test has had one positive outcome, anyway...

2.47pm: The covers are off and we should be underway shortly, I hope.

2.40pm: Uh oh. It's raining again and the covers are back on. It doesn't look like the match will start at 2.45pm.

The morning session, when it does start, will last just an hour and a quarter. There is an opportunity to make up for the lost 45 minutes of play at the end of the day, meaning stumps might not be until 10.15pm GMT. Plan your roast dinner accordingly.

2.30pm: The atmosphere's building at the Rec. The stands are getting full, the music's going and the stadium definitely has a Caribbean feel. People who had tickets for the first day of the second Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium can use them again today and the Rec's location in the heart of St John's means the locals have wandered down as well. Wonderful.

The pressure's on: Andrew Strauss surveys the wicket on which England will bat first.

2.25pm: Play is scheduled to start at 2.45pm GMT. Andrew Strauss could really do with a big total here as England look to put their disastrous 51 all out second innings performance in Jamaica behind them. Follow all the action here with Sportsmail.

2.20pm: The West Indies have won the toss and elected to bowl. Oh dear - that doesn't bode well for England, one would imagine. Chris Gayle looked very pleased to have won that particular coin toss and will persevere with the XI who played 45 minutes on Friday, preferring Ryan Hinds to Xavier Marshall at number six.

2.15pm: It seems a pitch inspection will take place in the next five minutes, with a view to starting at 2.45pm. The toss is also imminent - surely the winning captain will opt to bowl first?

Graeme Swann, pictured here on Friday, gets his chance against the West Indies today.

2.10pm: The teams are in and it is Ryan Sidebottom and Monty Panesar who miss out for England. Big surprises - particularly with regard to Sidebottom, who was very economical in Jamaica. England obviously think they're going to get something from this pitch and have called on Harmison's pace, height and ability to get bounce from a spicy surface.

I'm pleased, but surprised, England have dropped Panesar, who simply did not vary his deliveries enough in Jamaica. But Swann needs a run in this team to cement his place and should not be judged on one or two innings alone.

So, Harmison, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Andrew Flintoff and Graeme Swann are the men who will lead England's bowling attack. Owais Shah retains his place at number three, despite not having to face a ball in Friday's 10-ball shambles.

2pm: The England team are playing a warm up game of football on the pitch, which is very apt in the light of the Rec's reincarnation as a soccer stadium.

But will England persevere with the team they selected on Friday? Ian Bell made way for Owais Shah at number three and Steve Harmison was dropped in favour of James Anderson. Monty Panesar kept his place, despite a less than convincing performance at Sabina Park, and second spinner Graeme Swann was going to be a spectator once again.

What do you think about England's selection? Who would be your England XI? Let me know via email or using the comments box below.

1.55pm: It's stopped raining and the groundsmen are wasting no time in giving the wicket a hasty last-minute roll with a heavy roller. The head groundsman thinks it's going to be a spicy surface and recommends the captain who wins the toss should bowl first. A far cry from 1994 when Brian Lara hit 375 against Michael Atherton's England at the Rec, or 2004 when Lara reclaimed the highest Test score record with 400 not out, again batting against the English.

1.45pm: Despite the black clouds overhead and the lively pitch in prospect, it really is remarkable that we are ready to begin the third Test just 48 hours after the embarrassing events of February 13.

England captain Andrew Strauss surveys the wicket at the ARG.

Everyone's been involved in getting the Rec ready for action - even the Antigua fire brigade have lent a hand. The recriminations will continue as to how the abandoned match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was ever allowed to happen, but all involved seemed anxious to get on and play some cricket in the Caribbean.

1.35pm: Can you believe it? It has been raining in Antigua and there will be a pitch inspection at 2pm GMT, with a view to beginning the match at 2.45pm. Let's just hope they don't try to solve the problem with vast amounts of sand - we all know where that gets us...

1.20pm: Good afternoon and welcome to Sportsmail's live coverage from the Caribbean, as the hastily-arranged third Test between West Indies and England gets underway at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

The ARG Stadium yesterday afternoon, before it started raining. Look at the football pitch markings.

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LIVE TEST CRICKET: West Indies v England - Day One over-by-over coverage